Urban Meyer Declares Kyle Whittingham The 'Best Coach In College Football'

Urban Meyer had high praise for his successor

It feels like a lifetime ago, but before he was known for his success at Florida or Ohio State, Urban Meyer was dominating at Utah.

He was able to parlay his success in Salt Lake City to the Florida gig in 2005, which made way for Utah to promote Kyle Whittingham from defensive coordinator to head coach. In what has become a rarity in college football, Whittingham has been at the helm since, accumulating a 160-75 record and becoming the winningest coach in program history. Meyer, his former boss, spoke highly of Whittingham on a recent episode of Urban’s Take with Tim May.

Meyer went as far as to say that his former defensive coordinator has become the best coach in college football. 

“I’ve said many times Kyle Whittingham’s one of the best coaches in college football,” Meyer said. “”Now he’s the best. He’s the best coach in college football.”

 Meyer raved about his ability to create tough teams, citing the performance of third-string quarterback Bryson Barnes as a prime example, as the former pig farmer led Utah down the field to set up a game-winning field goal. 

"He’s culture and discipline,” Meyer said. “He’s tough as nails. His father was an NFL coach for a long time and I mean, Fred Whittingham is one of the toughest cats. I met him before he passed away. I can go on and on about Kyle Whittingham and what he’s done. He’s not one of the best. He’s the best coach in college football.”

Whittingham and the Utes have a tough stretch ahead of them as they are set to welcome No. 8 Oregon to town this weekend, in a game where both teams will see their Pac-12 title and College Football Playoff hopes eradicated if they lose. ESPN's College GameDay will be in attendance for the pivotal matchup which will certainly shape the landscape of college football, which also happens to be the last time the two teams will face off with Oregon going to the Big Ten and Utah the Big 12.